Judge expands criminal contempt probe over deportation flights, saying Kristi Noem failed to provide answers

James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion at the annual American Bar Association (ABA) Spring Antitrust Meeting in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2025. Drew Angerer/AFP/Getty Images/File

Days after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided little information about her actions in a high-stakes deportation case, a federal judge on Monday expanded his criminal contempt probe into the matter, ordering a top Justice Department attorney to testify under oath about the episode.

US District Judge James Boasberg ordered Drew Ensign, a top DOJ lawyer involved in immigration litigation, to testify next week about decisions made by administration officials in mid-March that resulted in the deportation of migrants to El Sal